William P.J. McCarthy is a shrub rose bred in Canada by Brad Jalbert and introduced by Select Roses in 2006. It’s named for his friend and mentor, a Canadian rose grower and rose judge. Jalbert has called it the finest rose he has bred. Its parents are the climber New Dawn and the hybrid tea Silver Jubilee, and it combines the toughness of the first with the bloom quality of the second. Clusters of double, clear mid-pink blooms with mauve tones, about 10 cm across, come in strong waves from early summer, then repeat through the season. The scent is light, and the flowers are excellent for cutting. The shrub is bushy and rounded, about 120 cm tall and 90–100 cm wide, with highly polished mid-green foliage. It’s very disease resistant and winter hardy, tolerates some shade, and is a good choice for colder gardens.

A tough, hardy Canadian shrub rose in clear pink, from one of Jalbert’s own favourites.